This invention relates to an improved method for the production of 4,6-dimethyl-7-hydroxynonan-3-one.
The female cigarette beetle (Lasioderma Serricorne F.) has been shown to secrete a sex pheromone which attracts the male beetle. This pheromone has been identified in the literature as (4S,6S,7S)-4,6-dimethyl-7-hydroxynonan-3-one.
The sex pheromone may be applied to pest prevention by attracting male insects to a given place to catch and kill them or by disturbing the normal mating behavior of male cigarette beetles. Alternatively, a sex pheromone may be used to attract and collect insect pests in order to make a field survey on the hatching or growing of the insect pests. On the basis of the results of such periodic surveys, it is possible to judge whether insecticide spraying is needed or not and to select the effective amount of an insecticide, thereby reducing the quantity of the insecticide used as a whole.
Research has been made on pest prevention by attracting insects for catching and killing them, or disturbing the communication between male and female insects using an insect sex pheromone.
In general, the paring behavior of insects is controlled by an extremely small amount of an odorous substance secreted by the insect, usually the female insect. The female insect releases a volatile, odorous substance in the air. The male insect perceives this odor and moves on legs or wings toward the female insect who is the source of the odor. The male insect who finds the female insect, sexually excites and mates therewith.
One type of odorous substance secreted by female insects is generally called a sex pheromone or sex attractant and is a very important substance in the mating behavior of insects.